Article dispensing magazine and a dispenser with removable magazines



Jan. 24, 1967 N. T. KUYPERS 3,300,087

ARTICLE DISPENSING MAGAZINE AND A DISPENSER WITH REMOVABLE MAGAZINES I) Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1965 a m w W MY J W v s K m w 0 E w w A o M N m w m &

Jan. 24, 1967 N KUYPERS 3,300,087

ARTICLE DISPENSING MAGAZINE AND A DISPENSER WITH REMOVABLF MAGAZINES Filed May 4, 1965 5 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR. NORBERT T. KUYPERS ATTORNEVS Jan. 24, 1967 N. T. KUYPERS 3,300,087

ARTICLE DISPENSING MAGAZINE AND A DISPENSER WITH REMOVABLE MAGAZINES I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 4, 1965 137 I44 [42 a); in II' 1 /50 140 FIG. l4

FIG. l5 ae /5() I F. G. v l 6 2 0 l 35 k INVENTOR. 86' a NORBERT T. KUYPERS ATTORNEYS FIG. 9

United States Patent Ofiice Patented Jan. 24, 1957 This invention relates generally to dispenser devices, and more particularly to a device for dispensing discs which are used in testing the sensitivity of microorganisms to chemical agents.

Discs for such sensitivity tests are made of absorbent material, usually paper, and each disc is impregnated with a solution of a particular reagent. In earlier days, the reagent discs were used while still wet, but at the present time they are dried and may be stored for a long time before use. The purpose of the sensitivity test is to determine which of several reagents kill or inhibit growth of microorganisms in the specimen being tested. Typically, several discs, each impregnated with a different reagent, are placed on a medium to which the test specimen has been applied. The medium and discs are incubated, and during incubation, reagents diffuse from the discs int-o zones of the medium surrounding the discs. After incubation, the activity of the reagents is determined by inspection. If a particular reagent is eilective to inhibit or stop growth of the microorganisms, there will be a clear zone around the disc containing that reagent. On the other hand, it a given reagent has little or no effect, the microorganisms will grow up to the edge of the disc.

It is an object of this invention to facilitate the placement of reagent discs on the medium containing the test specimen.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved device for dispensing reagent discs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a magazine for storing reagent discs from which a single disc may be easily dispensed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for simultaneously dispensing reagent discs from several magazines, each of which is in itself a single-disc dispenser.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mutiple-disc dispenser which can be operated more easily than dispensers available previously.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a multiple-disc dispenser in a raised position over a petri dish, portions of the dispenser being cut away to illustrate its internal construction.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the multiple-disc dispenser of FIG. 1.

.FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the dispenser in an operated condition and shows a disc in different positions as it is being dispensed.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan View of the petri dish showing the positions of reagent discs which have been dispensed from the device of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view, similar to FIG. 1, showing by dashed lines the loading position of a magazine just before it is inserted in the dispenser, the dispenser being shown in its unlocked condition.

FIG. 6A is a fragmentary plan section along line 66 of FIG. 5 showing a pin and shelf arrangement by which a shaft of the dispenser is held in a raised position.

FIG. 6B is a fragmentary plan section showing the changed position of the pin after the shaft has been rotated to lock one or more magazines in place in the dispenser.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the unlocked dispensing device of FIG. 5 showing a locking plate and an actuating plate in their open positions.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary bot-tom plan view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the locking plate and actuating plate in their closed positions.

FIG. 9 is a detail view of the locking plate.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the parts of a magazine as they might be arranged for assembling the magazine.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged vertical section of the complete assembled magazine.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the magazine.

FIG. 13A is an elevation view of the magazine.

FIG. 13B shows the magazine with its lever in operated position, in the scale of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view showing a protective cap covering the dispensing end of the magazine.

' FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the cap.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken on the line 1616 of FIG. 15, but in the scale of FIGS. 11-13A.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, the multiple-disc dispenser 20 includes a stand 22 which carries and supports several magazines 24, each containing a vertical stack of reagent discs 26. Magazines 24 are themselves singledisc dispensers, and each carries its own ejector lever 28. The levers of all magazines are depressed simultaneously by vertical movement of an actuating plate 30 carried on the lower end of a shaft 32 which can be moved axially downward by depressing a handle 34 mounted on the upper end of the shaft. Handle 34, shaft 32 and actuating plate 30 are shown in operated positions in FIG.

. 3 after handle 34 has been depressed.

Stand 22 includes a generally tubular shell 23 which has an open lower end 36 adapted to receive the petri dish 38 therein. The upper end of shell 23 is closed by a top wall 40. Each magazine 24 extends through an aperture 44 in wall 40 and is suspended from wall 40 by a flange 42 on the magazine which rests on the top wall. Each aperture 44 has a circular portion (see FIG. 7) to receive the tubular body of a magazine 24 and a slot-like extension 46 which accommodates lever 28. Apertures 44 are arranged in a circle about the vertical axis of stand 22 and extensions 46 extend radially inwardly of the stand.

Stand 22 has a plurality of axially extending stops 48 which have a curved transverse section (FIG. 7). Each stop 48 is supported by wall 40 and backed up by a vertical rib 50 extending radially of shell 23 from stop 48 to the shell (FIG. 7). The bottom end 52 of rib 50 is re cessed upwardly (FIGS. 1 and 3) relative to the bottom end 54 of stop 48 to make room for the side wall 56 of petri dish. 38 when the shell stands over the petri dish Z as in FIG. 3. Ribs 58 each have an upwardly and inwardly tapering edge 53 which together provide a plurality (herein shown as a total of eight) of tapered edges 53 defining an internal conical form within shell 23 which upon engaging the upper edge 55 of petri dish 38 cams the dish to a centered position under stand 22, thereby assuring the centering of the magazines relative to the petri dish. The inner vertical edges of each stop 48 are adapted to contact the side of the associated magazine to provide a backing for the magazines so that they will not move radially outward when actuating plate 30 is moved downward and forces lever 28 toward the magazine. The lower end 54 of stop 48 projects downward slightly beyond the lower end 69 of magazine 24 so as to receive and guide each disc 26 when it is displaced laterally from the magazine as illustrated by disc 26a shown in dashed lines in FIG. 3.

Shaft 32 extends vertically through a hollow central hub 62 which projects upward from top wall 40 of stand 22. Hub 62 has an axially extending internal keyway 64 which receives-a radially projecting pin 66 carried by shaft 32. Pin 66 rides up and down in keyway 64 as shaft 32 is raised and depressed and holds the shaft against rotation. The top of the keyway intersects a short horizontal keyway which forms a shelf 68 (FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B) inside hub 62. When the shaft is raised fully upward bringing pin 66 into registry with the horizontal keyway above shelf 68, the shaft can be rotated to thereby swing pin 66 out of alignment with vertical keyway 64 into the horizontal keyway until the pin abuts the vertical wall at the end of shelf 68. Then, when the shaft is released, pin 66 will be urged against shelf 68 and hold shaft 32 in its fully raised position. The shaft is put in this raised and locked position when magazines 24 are either being loaded into or unloaded from the dispenser, as Will be explained more fully when the loading operation is described hereinafter.

Handle 34 is fastened by a screw 70 (FIG. 1) to the top end of shaft 32. The handle has a tubular side wall 72 closed at its top end by a wall 74 from which a sleeve 76 projects axially downward and about the top end of the shaft. Sleeve 76 and shaft 32 have matching fiat portions at 78 for preventing relative rotation between them. A cover 79 closes a recess 96 at the top of handle 34 and may serve as a nameplate. Both handle 34 and stand 22 may be made of molded plastic.

A coil spring 88 seats on a washer 81 supported on the top of hub 62 and the top end of spring 86 fits loosely in the annular space between wall 72 and sleeve 76 and abuts against end wall 74 of the handle. Coil spring 80 is compressed when handle 34 is depressed as in FIG. 3, and returns the handle, shaft 32 and plate 30 upward when the handle is released. A spiral coil spring 180 is disposed between and secured at its opposite ends to actuating plate 30 and a locking plate 84, respectively, plate 84 being located above the actuating plate. Springs 88 and res both function as compression springs and are selected to counterbalance each other to hold shaft 32 in the rest position as shown in FIG. 1. When handle 34 is depressed as in FIG. 3, spring 80 is compressed further and spring 180 is relaxed and hence when the handle is released, spring 88 acts to return the handle and shaft upward to the rest position. When handle 34 is pulled upward from its rest position and then rotated to the loading position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, spring 100 is compressed flat and spring 80 is relaxed, and hence spring 100 biases pin 66 against shelf 68 to help retain handle 34 in the loading position. When the handle is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 6 to align pin 66 with keyway 64, spring 100 acts to return handle 34 and shaft 32 to the rest position of FIG. 1 when the handle is released. With this arrangement of springs 80 and 100, locking plate 84 can be allowed to float axially relative to shaft 32. Plate 84 is held by spring 100 against top Wall 40 at all times as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3.

Actuating plate 30 has a plurality of radially extending fingers 82 (FIG. 7) for depressing the ejector levers 28 of magazines 24. Locking plate 84 also has a plurality of radially extending fingers 86 (FIGS. 7-9), the ends of which fit into slots 110 (FIG. 1) in magazines 24 to hold the magazines in place. The central opening 80 in plate 84 has a fiat edge 92 (FIG. 9) abutting a fiat surface 94 on shaft 32 to prevent relative rotation between shaft 32 and plate 84 but allowing shaft 32 to move axially through opening 90. Plate 84 is thus held angularly oriented relative to pin 66 such that the ends of fingers 86 are rotated into slots 110 when shaft 32 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 6B to bring pin 66 into alignment with vertical keyway 64. Actuating plate 30 has a central opening with a square edge (FIG. 8) fitting on a square tip 97 at the bottom of shaft 32 (FIG. 1). Tip 97 may be cross slotted and pushed over to stake plate 30 to shaft 32. Plate 30 is thus also held angularly oriented such that its ends are always aligned with the ends of fingers 86. This relationship of plates 30 and 84 and pin 66 insures that shaft 32 cannot be depressed in a dispensing stroke until it has been rotated to a position wherein fingers 86 are engaging magazines 24 and fingers 82 aligned for camming engagement with the associated levers 28.

As shown best in FIG. 1, in the rest position of shaft 32 actuating plate 30 is spaced slightly below locking plate 84. When handle 34 is depressed as in FIG. 3, actuating plate 38 is moved downward by shaft 32 into sliding engagement with ejector levers 28 and cams the same simultaneously laterally toward the tubular body of the associated magazines 24. Each lever 28 has a bent-over conta-ctor tip 104 at its lower end which moves laterally toward the lower end 60 of magazine 24 while the ejector lever is moved by actuator plate 30. Maga zine 24 is open at its bottom end except Where it is partially bridged by diametrically opposite retaining arms 185 and 106 (FIGS. 12 and 13). As the actuating plate 30 is moved further downward to the position shown in FIG. 3, it bends each lever 28 and in doing so moves tip 104 between the spaced ends of arms 1% and 186 laterally across the lower end of the associated magazine to thereby displace the lowermost disc laterally out of each stack into the curved hollow of the associated stop 48, as illustrated by the disc 26a shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. During this disc displacing movement, the end of each contactor tip follows a curving path to the left and upward as viewed in FIG. 3 which helps to insure that it will eject only the lowermost disc of the associated stack.

When the disc has been displaced to the dashed line disc position 26a in FIG. 3, it no longer is supported by arms 105 and 106 and hence the disc falls onto the medium 108 coated on the bottom of petri dish 38. The disc is guided while it falls by the lower end 54 of stop 48. Thus, if the disc should tend to tumble toward the side wall of the petri dish, it is blocked by the stop and falls straight down onto medium 108.

Although only one magazine is shown in detail in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the illustrated embodiment, two or more magazines may be placed in the stand (eight magazines labelled A through H are shown in FIG. 2), so that any number from one to eight discs may be dispensed simultaneously into the petri dish depending upon the number of magazines loaded in the stand. Three such discs A, H and G are shown in FIG. 4 after they have been dis pensed.

The manner in which magazines are loaded into the stand is illustrated in FIGS. 5-8. To prepare the dispenser for loading, handle 34 is pulled upward as far as it will go and then rotated counterclockwise to its loading position wherein pin 66 is abutting the end wall of the horizontal keyway in projection 62 and is urged downwardly onto shelf 68 by the force of spring (see FIG.

" 6A). This rotation of shaft 32 rotates fingers 82 and 86 of plates 30 and 84 respectively, out of alignment with slots 46 of apertures 44 (FIG. 7) so that slots 46 are open to receive levers 28 of the associated magazines 24. To load each magazine, the same is oriented upright over one of the apertures with its ejector lever lined up with a slot 46 (FIG. and then the magazine is lowered into the aperture until its flange 42 rests on wall 40. Thus, slots 46 serve an orienting function; the magazine cannot be inserted into the stand until its ejector lever is lined up with the slot 46 of an aperture 44. Once the magazine has been fully inserted in the stand, a vertically extending and radially outwardly projecting lug 126 on the side of the magazine registers in slot 46, therebypreventing rotation of the magazine in the stand to maintain the radially inwardly directed orientation of lever 28, Other magazines may be inserted in the same way. i The position of a magazine 24 after it has been inserted in stand 22 is shown at theright side of FIG. 5.

To lock the loaded magazine or magazines in the stand,

handle 34 is then rotated clockwise to swing pir 1 66 from the position shown in FIG. 6A to its position in FIG. 6B, thus moving pin 66 into keyway 64. By this rotation of shaft 32, a finger 86 on locking plate 84 enters slot 110 just below flange 42 of each magazine 24, thereby locking each magazine in place (FIG. 1). This rotation also swings the corresponding finger 82 on actuating plate 30 into alignment with the corresponding lever 28 on each magazine 24, all of the slots 46 thereby being closed by fingers 82 as shown in FIG. 8. When handle 34 is released with pin 66 registered in keyway 64, spring 100 moves handle 34, shaft 32 and plate 30 downwardly to the rest position shown in FIG. 1. The stand is then reliably secured in this locked condition due to the counterbalanced condition of springs 80 and 100 so that the stand may be picked up by handle 34 and even shaken violently or turned upside down without unlocking the magazines.

The detailed structure of an individual magazine 24 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1015. The magazine includes a guide which may be in the form of a tube 120 closed at its upper end by a plug 122 and open at its lower end 60. A stack of discs 26 is slida'bly received in tube 120 and retained therein at one end of the stack by short retaining arms 105, 106 whose tips are axially spaced beyond the lower end 60 of the tube by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of one disc. The latter spacing is such that only the lowermost disc in the stack clears the lower end 60 of the tube (see FIG. 13). Arms 105 and 106 extend downward from diametrically opposite sides of the tube end 60 and their tips extend radially of thetube toward each other but are spaced apart (FIG. 12) to permit tip 104 to pass therebetween. As clearly shown in FIG. 12, the spaced inturned ends of arms 105 and 106 each have a tapered edge, these two tapered edges converging relative to one another in the direction of disc displacing movement of tip 104 to thereby guide tip 104 cent-rally across the disc dispensing opening should the tip not clear arms 105 and 106.

The ejector lever 28 is carried by the tube for movement in a plane radially of the tube and comprises a resiliently flexible actuating arm having a contactor tip 104 at its lower free end which is free to move. The other end 124 of lever 28 is affixed to tube 120 and may be integral with the tube wall. Lever 28 is shown in its actuated position in FIG. 13A and in its unactuated position in FIG. 13B. The tube and ejector lever are advantageously made of plastic material such as Plexiglas. The tube has a projection 102 located directly under lever 28 about midway of the length of the tube, and may be an integral projection on the outer surface of the tube. Projection 102 serves to limit bending stress at the juncture of lever 28 with the wall of tube 120 to thereby prevent premature fatigue of the plastic material as when the lever is being manually actuated by direct application of finger pressure thereto. Preferably lever 28 is graduated in thickness in a plane coincident with the lever and axis of tube (FIGS. 13A and 13B). Maximum thickness occurs at a point 29 about two thirds of the distance from end 124 to tip 104, the lever gradually diminishing in thickness toward both ends from point 29. This increased section 29 between the midpoint and tip 104 of the lever stilfens the lever and causes the bending of the lever to occur in its thin section directly below its juncture with tube 120. This in efiect controls the radius of the arc of travel of tip 104 allowing pressure to be exerted at any point along the outward surface of the lever 28 and still maintain accurate contact of tip 104 with the hottommost disc 26 in the tube. Flange 42 encircling tube 120 is formed just above the upper end 124 of lever 28 and has the aforementioned lug 126 spaced slightly from the upper end of the lever to define therebetween the slot 110 for receiving a finger of the locking plate 84.

The magazine as shown in actual size in FIG. 13A will hold a stack of about fifty reagent discs. The stack is urged axially against retaining arms 105, 106 by a weight 130 (FIG. 11) biased by a compression coil spring 132 extending between weight 130 and plug 122. The force exerted by spring 132 decreases as discs are dispensed, but when magazine 24 is in a vertical dispensing position with open end 60 at the bottom, weight 130 provides an increment of constant bias on the discs. Spring 132 urges the discs against retaining arms 105 and 106 keeping them positioned there even when the magazine is inverted. A label 134 (FIGS. 10 and 13) may be afi'ixed to the tube on which may be inscribed the name of the reagent imp-regnated in the discs. Attached to plug 122 is another label 136 on which is inscribed the same code letter, symbol or color as that used on the discs.

The illustrated embodiment of the magazine has a cap (FIGS. 14, 15 and 16) which fits over the dispensing end 60 of tube 120 to protect the discs from contamination and also to protect tip 104 of lever 28. Cap 135 has a hollow cylindrical wall 137, a bottom wall 138, a lateral extension 140 and two ribs 142 spaced apart to receive contactor tip 104 between them. Thus, ribs 142 and extension 140 partially enclose contactor tip 104. Bottom Wall 138 has two recesses 143 and 144 which receive re taining arms 105 and 106 when the lower end 60 of magazine 24 is seated on the diametrically opposite shoulders and 152 formed inside cap 135 (FIGS. 15 and 16). The top surface 146 of bottom wall 138 is flush with the inner surface 148 (FIG. 11) of the retaining arms when the cap is in place and provides a platform which holds the discs level when they are being loaded.

Magazine 24 constitutes in and of itself a complete, manually operable single-disc dispenser, and if it is desired to dispense only one disc at a time it is not necessary to place the magazine in the stand of the multiple-disc dispenser. For such usage, lever 28 is conveniently looated to be operated manually for ejecting discs one at a time while holding the magazine in the fingers of one hand. By placing in the stand as many magazines as are needed, several discs may be conveniently and rapidly ejected simultaneously by simply depressing handle 34 as described previously. The multiple-disc dispenser is eas ily unlocked by pulling up and rotating handle 34, thereby allowing magazines to be inserted into or removed from the stand. The push-to-operate and pull-to-unlock feature of the dispenser makes the dispenser easy to operate and does not require complicated structure.

I claim:

1. A multiple-disc dispenser comprising a stand, a plurality of hollow guides supported in an upright position by said stand, each said guide having an opening, an ejector carriedby each said guide for movement thereon, means for retaining a stack of discs in each said guide with the outermost disc positioned adjacent the opening thereof, a manually operable actuator movably supported by said stand, said actuator being movable to move said ejectors across said openings to displace the outermost discs from said stacks, each of said guides comprising a tube and said ejector for each said tube comprising a lever extending longitudinally of the tube, said actuator including a member supported by said stand for movement longitudinally of said tubes and means operably connected to said member for moving the same to move the ejector levers.

2. The multiple-disc dispenser of claim 1 wherein said stand has means supporting said tubes along a circle about said actuator.

3. The multiple-disc dispenser of claim 2 wherein said actuator includes a shaft supported by said stand for axial movement thereon, and a member carried by said shaft and movable longitudinally of said tubes upon axial movement of said shaft to move the ejector levers of said tubes.

4. The multiple-disc dispenser of claim 3 further including means keying said shaft to said stand and allowing rotary movement of said shaft only in a selected axial position thereof, and a locking member keyed to said shaft and rotatable thereby to engage said magazines and lock the same in said stand.

5. The multiple-disc dispenser of claim 4 further including resilient means urging said shaft axially thereof to a rest position, said shaft being movable axially in one direction from said rest position to operate the ejector levers of the tubes and being movable axially in the opposite direction from said rest position to said selected position in which said shaft is rotatable to lock and unlock said magazines.

6. The multiple-disc dispenser of claim 5 including control means aifixed to said shaft and spaced from said stand on the outside thereof, said control means being operable by depressing the same toward said stand to operate said levers and operable by pulling the same away from said stand to move said shaft axially to said selected position thereof.

7. The multiple-disc dispenser of claim 6 including a keyway in said stand, a pin aifixed to said shaft and slidable in said keyway, and a shelf adjoining said keyway to receive said pin in said selected position of said shaft when said pin is rotated out of said keyway, thereby retaining said shaft in said selected position thereof.

8. A disc dispenser comprising a hollow guide having an axial opening in one end thereof, means for retaining a stack of discs with the stack extending axially in said guide including a pair of arms extending axially from diametrically opposite sides of said guide beyond said one end of said guide, each of said arms having an inturned end spaced a predetermined distance radially of the guide from the inturned end of the opposite arm and positioned a predetermined distance axially beyond said one end of said guide for retaining the outermost disc of said stack beyond and clear of said one end of said guide, and an ejector lever having one end operably connected to said guide and having a free end normally spaced from said guide for movement in a path extending diametrically across said opening and in axial alignment with the space between said inturned ends of said arms for displacing the outermost disc from said stack, said inturned ends of said arms each having a tapered edge with said tapered edges converging relative to one another in the direction of disc displacing movement of said free end of said lever.

9. A stand adapted to receive and support a plurality of disc dispensing magazines, said stand comprising a tubular shell open at one end for nestably receiving a circular petri dish axially therein, said shell having a transverse wall closing the other end thereof, said wall having a plurality of openings therein spaced apart in a circle concentric with the axis of said shell and adapted for individually receiving the magazines axially therethrough, said shell having a plurality of stops, one for each of said openings, each said stop extending axially from said transverse wall to a terminal end of said stop spaced inwardly of the plane of said one end of said shell adapted to support said magazines against movement radially outwardly from the axis of said shell parallel to the axis of the shell with the dispensing end of the magazines facing said open end of said shell above the nested position of the petri dish, said shell having a plurality of ribs with one of said ribs extending radially outwardly from each of said stops to said shell, each said rib having a tapering edge to provide with the other tapering edges of said ribs a plurality of tapering edges disposed circumferentially around the interior of said shell and spaced radially outwardly of said openings in said wall oriented to define a generally conical surface concentric with the circle of openings in said wall and diverging toward said open end for camming the petri dish into concentric relation with said openings when said stand is placed open end first onto the petri dish.

10. A disc dispenser comprising a stand having a tubular shell open at one end thereof and having a transverse wall closing the other end thereof, an actuating mechanism connected to said shell and extending axially through said wall and having a member movable axially of the shell between said ends thereof, said wall having a plurality of openings therein arranged adjacent said actuating mechanism, a plurality of tubular magazines one received in each of said openings, said magazines and said shell having cooperative interengaging means adapted to support said magazines in axially extending positions in said stand, said magazines each including means for retaining a stack of the discs in each magazine with the endmost disc of the stack spaced axially beyond the lower end thereof, said magazines each having a lever pivotally mounted thereon and extending therealong inclined outwardly from the axis of the magazine and terminating at a free end adapted to contact and laterally displace said endmost disc from the stack in the associated magazine in response to pivotal movement of said lever, said openings each having a configuration complementary to the transverse profile of said magazines and associated lever received therein and arranged for nonrotatably retaining and orienting said magazines with their respective levers extending into the path of movement of said member whereby said member is movable into engagement with said levers for imparting said pivotal movement thereto.

11. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said magazines each have means forming a slot in an exterior surface thereof, and further including a locking plate mounted on said shell and shiftable transversely thereof into and out of said magazine slots for releasab'ly locking said magazines against axial movement in said stand.

12. The combination set forth in claim 11 wherein said openings are arranged in a circle concentric with said actuating mechanism and are disposed to orient said magazines such that the respective levers thereof extend radially inwardly toward said movable member of said actuating mechanism, said locking plate being rotatably mounted on said stand centrally of said openings and having an outer periphery with a plurality of radial notches therein adapted to register with said openings in one angular position of said locking plate to permit reception of said maga- Zines in said openings, said plate also having a series of locking tabs alternating circumferentially with said notches and shifta-ble into said slots of said magazines by rotating said plate to a second angular position thereof to thereby obtain said releasable locking of said magazines against axial movement in said stand.

13. A disc dispenser comprising a hollow plastic guide having a dispensing opening, means for retaining a stack of discs in said guide with the outermost disc at one end of said stack positioned adjacent the opening, a plastic cantilever arm integrally joined at one end to said guide and extending therefrom outwardly and along the guide in inclined relation to the axis thereof and having a free end adapted to contact said outermost disc in said stack in response to flexure of said arm in the manner of a cantilever beam, and an integral projection on said guide positioned in the path of movement of said arm near said one end of said arm and adapted to serve as a stop to limit bending movement of said arm toward said guide in the vicinity of said one end thereof.

14. The disc dispenser as set forth in claim 13 wherein said lever varies in thickness intermediate the ends thereof in a plane coincident with said lever and the axis of said tube with the maximum thickness being generally at the midpoint of the lever whereby the maximum bending action of the lever in response to fiexure force applied thereto occurs in a region between the said one end thereof and said point of maximum thickness.

15. A disc dispenser comprising a hollow tube having a dispensing opening, means for retaining a stack of discs in said tube with the outermost disc of said stack positioned adjacent the opening, an ejector lever arm connected to said tube and being resiliently bendable for movement across said opening to displace the outermost disc from said stack, means for holding said tube in an upright position and actuating means carried by said holding means, said actuating means including a member movable vertically to move said lever arm toward said tube.

16. A disc dispenser comp-rising a hollow tube having a dispensing opening at one end thereof, means for retaining a'stack of discs in said tube with the outermost disc of said stack positioned adjacent said opening, an ejector lever connected at one end to said tube and being resiliently bendable for movement toward said tube and a cap detachably engageable with said tube at said end to cover said dispensing opening, said ejector lever having a contactor tip at its free end movable across said opening to displace the outermost disc from said stack in response to bending of said lever, said cap having an extension with a recess therein for receiving and protecting said contactor tip of said ejector lever.

17. A disc dispenser comprising a hollow tube having a dispensing opening at one end thereof, means for retaining a stack of discs in said tube with the outermost disc of said stack positioned adjacent said opening, said means for retaining the disc comprising an arm at least partially bridging said one end of said tube to define therewith said disc dispensing opening, an ejector connected to said guide and being resiliently bendable for movement across said opening to displace the outermost disc from said stack and a cap detachably engageable with said tube at said one end and adapted to cover said dispensing opening, said cap having a wall adapted to cover said one end of said tube and recessed to receive said retaining arm in flush relation with the inner surface of said cap wall.

18. A disc dispenser comprising a support, a hollow guide on said support having a disc dispensing opening adjacent one end thereof, means for retaining a plurality of discs arranged in a stack extending axially in said guide such that an endmost disc of the stack registers with said opening and the stack is movable in said guide for successive dispensing of said discs via said opening, an ejector in the form of a movable arm associated with said guide having a tip adapted to contact and then displace through said opening the endmost disc in said stack upon movement of said arm in one direction and actuating means movably mounted on said support for contacting and releasably displacing said arm in said one direction, said arm extending at an angle to the axis of said guide, said actuating means being movable in a path generally parallel to the axis of said guide and intersecting the path of movement of said arm for slidable camming engagement with said arm to thereby displace the same in said one direction.

19. A disc dispenser comprising a hollow guide having an axial opening in one end thereof, means for retaining a stack of discs with the stack extending axially in said guide including a pair of arms extending axially from diametrically opposite sides of said guide beyond said one end of said guide, each of said arms having an inturned end spaced a predetermined distance radially of the guide from the inturned end of the opposite arm and positioned a predetermined distance axially beyond said one end of said guide for retaining the outermost disc of said stack beyond and clear of said one end of said guide, an ejector operably connected to said guide for movement in a path extending diametrically across said opening and in axial alignment with the space between said inturned ends of said arms for displacing the outermost disc from said stack, and a cap detachably engaging said guide, said cap having an end Wall covering said open end of said guide, said end wall having recesses therein to nestably receive said inturned ends of said arms in flush relation with the inner surface of said end wall whereby said arm ends provide with said end wall a fiat surface disposed in a plane perpendicular to the guide axis for supporting the outermost disc of said stack.

20. A disc dispenser comprising a hollow tube having a disc dispensing opening adjacent one end of said tube, means for retaining a stack of discs in said tube with the outermost disc of said stack positioned adjacent said opening, an ejector lever connected at one end thereof to said tube near the end of said tube remote from said one end of said tube, said lever having a free end remote from said one end of said lever and adjacent said one end of said tube, said lever being resiliently bendable for movement of said free end across said opening to displace the outermost disc from said stack, said tube having support means on the outside thereof located axially between said one end of said lever and said remote end of said tube and projecting radially outwardly from and extending circumferentially of said tube adapted for supporting said tube in a holder, said support means including a lug extending axially therefrom toward said one end of said lever and forming therewith a slot therebetween adapted for receiving a locking member.

21. A device for dispensing discs adapted for manual operation by one hand comprising a support adapted to be positioned over a disc receiving surface, an array of magazines supported by said support and each having an outlet, each of said magazines being adapted to carry therein a stack of discs to be dispensed seriatim from the outlets of said magazines, a plurality of ejectors supported adjacent the outlets of said magazines and being simultaneously actuatable to dispense a disc from each of said stacks when actuated and manually actuatable means extending upwardly from said support in the operative disc dispensing position thereof and adapted for actuation in a vertical direction for simultaneously actuating said ejectors whereby the discs are deposited upon the disc receiving surface in a pattern corresponding to the array of magazines.

22. The combination set forth in claim 21 wherein said manually actuatable means includes a plunger adapted to be manually pushed downwardly from a raised position thereof and spring means for biasing said plunger to said raised position whereby said spring means is stressed by a downward movement of said plunger and serves to return said plunger to said raised position.

23. The combination set forth in claim 22 wherein said magazines are supported upright on said support and said plunger is disposed generally centrally of the array of said magazines and extends parallel thereto and means at the upper end of said plunger disposed above said magazines adapted to serve as a carrying handle for said device.

24. The combination set forth in claim 22 wherein said manually actuatable means further includes cooperative slidably engageable cam means associated with said plunger and said ejectors and including a camming surface inclined relative to the direction of movement of said plunger for translating vertical movement thereof into lateral disc displacing movement of said ejectors in response 1 1 12 to downward actuation of said plunger from said raised 1,964,335 6/1934 Wessman 221287 position thereof. 2,638,395 5/1953 Smith 221197 2,834,512 5/1958 Fry 221-268 References Cited by the E a iner 2,947,444 8/1960 Taylor et a1. 221-93 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 3,119,521 1/1964 Taylor 221287 553,757 1/1896 Lipphardt et a1 221-287 3186592 6/196 Carsk 221 287 1,084,011 1/1914 HQHIY 221-93 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. 1,134,305 4/1915 Wlesner 221287 1,485,716 3/1924 Rogers 221 232 WALTER SOBINExaminer- 

1. A MULTIPLE-DISC DISPENSER COMPRISING A STAND, A PLURALITY OF HOLLOW GUIDES SUPPORTED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION BY SAID STAND, EACH SAID GUIDE HAVING AN OPENING, AN EJECTOR CARRIED BY EACH SAID GUIDE FOR MOVEMENT THEREON, MEANS FOR RETAINING A STACK OF DISCS IN EACH SAID GUIDE WITH THE OUTERMOST DISC POSITIONED ADJACENT THE OPENING THEREOF, A MANUALLY OPERABLE ACTUATOR MOVABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID STAND, SAID ACTUATOR BEING MOVABLE TO MOVE SAID EJECTORS ACROSS SAID OPENINGS TO DISPLACE THE OUTERMOST DISC FROM SAID STACKS, EACH OF SAID GUIDES COMPRISING A TUBE AND SAID EJECTOR FOR EACH SAID TUBE COMPRISING A LEVER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE TUBE, SAID ACTUATOR INCLUDING A MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID STAND FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TUBES AND MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER FOR MOVING THE SAME TO MOVE THE EJECTOR LEVERS. 